Shock absorbing horseshoe pit

ABSTRACT

A horseshoe pitching court including a fixture which is embedded at a predetermined location in a pad below the playing surface of the court. A base is loosely held captive by the fixture and has a first bottom horizontal surface and a second bottom surface inclined with respect to the first surface with an edge of the base common to both surfaces extending transverse to the longitudinal direction of the court. The base is thus rockable on this edge in the longitudinal direction of the court between a first position in which the first surface of the bottom of the base engages the fixture and a second position in which the second surface of the bottom of the base engages the fixture, the base being gravity biased toward its first position. A stake is held by the base and it extends generally vertically from the base above the surface of the court whereby a pitched horseshoe hitting the stake causes the base to rock from its first position to its second position.

United States Patent [191 Litscb Oct. 29, 1974 1 1 SllOtK ABSORBING IlORSESHOE ll'l Emil C. Litsch, 5324 Nottingham Ave, St. Louis, Mo. 63109 22 Filed: Apr. 23, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 463,316

176] lnventor'.

Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant ExaminerMarvin Siskind Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Koenig, Senniger, Powers and Leavi'tt [57] ABSTRACT A horseshoe pitching court including a fixture which is embedded at a predetermined location in a pad below the playing surface of the court. A base is loosely held captive by the fixture and has a first bottom horizontal surface and a second bottom surface inclined with respect to the first surface with an edge of the base common to both surfaces extending transverse to the longitudinal direction of the court. The base is thus rockable on this edge in the longitudinal direction of the court between a first position in which the first surface of the bottom of the base engages the fixture and a second position in which the second surface of the bottom of the base engages the fixture, the base being gravity biased toward its first position. A stake is held by the base and it extends generally vertically from the base above the surface of the court whereby a pitched horseshoe hitting the stake causes the base to rock from its first position to its second position.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 3344.560 SHEET 1!)? 2 PATENTED UN 2 9 I974 SHOCK ABSORBING HORSESIIOE'PIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a horseshoe pitching court.

Horseshoe courts are conventionally constructed by placing two stakes 40 feet apart and providing a clay target area 3 by 4 feet surrounding each stake. Custom arily, 1 inch diameter steel stakes are driven 7 inches into a 4 foot block of wood having a cross-section of 7 by inches which is buried under the clay. The stake extends 14 inches above the clay. The block is positioned to allow the stake a 3 inch lean toward the opposite end of the court.

With conventional court construction, when a stake is damaged or broken, the entire target area must be dug up to replace the old block with a new one. Another drawback of conventional construction is that it is difficult to properly locate the block so that the stake extends from the center of thepit area. Also, continuous play on conventional courts causes the stake and its mounting block to move thus causing changes in the I dimensions of the court.

do hold up under continuous play, and often sit on a concrete pad and are thus above the level to which players are accustomed. Furthermore, these portable pits often use a mat for the target area in lieu of clay. Such mats tend to wear out and may be damagedby the shoes. Most expert players find such a mat an unacceptable replacement for clay.

Reference may be made to such U.S. Pats. as Nos. 1,098,872, 2,230,294 and 3,547,442which illustrate other known horseshoe courts in the same general field as the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE'INVENTION Among the several objects of this invention may be noted the provision of an improved horseshoe pitching ing the stake; and the provision of such a court which is simple and economical to manufacture. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Briefly, a horseshoe pitching court of this invention comprises a fixture disposed below the playing surface of the court, a base held loosely captive by the fixture, and a stake held by the base; The base has a first bottom horizontal surface and a second bottom surface inclined with respect to the first surface with both surfaces intersecting on a common edge extending transverse to the longitudinal direction of the court whereby the base is rockable in the longitudinal direction of the court on the common edge between a first position in which thefirst surface of the bottom of the base engages the fixture and a second position in which the second surface of the bottom of the base engages the fixture, the base being gravity biased toward its first position. The stake extends generally vertically from the base above the surface of the court whereby a pitched horseshoe hitting the stake causes the base to rock from its first position to its second position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a pit for a horseshoe pitching court of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 with certain components not shown;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1 with parts omitted for clarity; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of a base rockably supported on a fixture.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, one end of a horseshoe pitching court is indicated in its entirety by reference numeral 1. The court includes a pitching pit 2 at each end thereof, only one of which is shown in the drawings. Pit 2 includes a pad 3 of a formable rigid material, such as poured concrete or asphalt, having a re-- cess 5 generally at its center and sides 7A-7D sloping downwardly toward recess 5. Pad 3 is located generally below the playing surface P of the court. Embedded in the pad at the center of recess 5 is a generally rectangular fixture or frame 9 which has a bottom 11 of open construction and sides l3A-l3D extendingg'enerally vertically from its bottom. Side 13A has a lip 15 at its upper edge which extends generally horizontally toward the rear of the frame 9.

' A base 17 of cast iron or other suitable material is loosely held captive by frame 9 and includes a first horizontal bottom surface 19 and a second bottom surface 21 inclined with respect to surface 19. These surfaces intersect along a common edge 23 extending transverse to the longitudinal direction of the court. These bottom surfaces are adapted for engagement with bottom 11 of fixture 9 and thus'the base is rockable on edge 23 in the longitudinal direction of the court between a first position (shown in FIGS. 1 and 4) in which the first bottom surface 19 engages fixture 9 and a second position (not shown) in which the second bottom surface 21 engages the bottom of the fixture. The center of gravity of base 17 is above the surface 19 (i.e., toward the inside of the court from edge 23). Thus, base 17 is gravity biased towards its first position (see FIG. 4).

Means as indicated at 25 is provided on fixture 9 for limiting rocking movement of base 17 within a limited range. As shown in FIG. 4, base 17 has an edge 27 which extends inwardly (relative to the court) below lip 15 of fixture 9. Lip 15 has an adjustable bolt 29 threaded therethrough which may be adjustably positioned relative to the base so as to limitrocking movement of the base within a limited range.

Court 1 further includes a stake or peg 31 held by base 17 with the stake extending generally vertically relative to the playing surface P of the court. Base 17 bore 33 extends through the base. It will be understood that under normal conditions, stake 31 may readily be inserted in and removed from bore 33 without removing base 17 from fixture 9. However, due to corrosion or the like, the stake may become locked within bore 33. in the event the stake becomes locked in bore 33, base 17 may be removed from fixture 9 and the stake forcefully driven from bore 33 via hole 37. As best shown in H6. 4, bore 33 and stake 31 received therein is inclined to the vertical when base 17 is in its normal position. Stake 31 is of such length that when it is properly received by bore 33, the stake extends approximately 14 inches above playing surface P and the upper end of the stake leans inwardly towards the opposite end of the court approximately 3 inches from the vertical.

In accordance with this invention, frame 9 includes a plurality of rods 39A-39C extending generally horizontally from three sides of fixture 9 for accurately positioning the fixture in pit 2 and for holding the fixture within the pit as the pad 3 is poured. The bottom 11 of fixture 9 is of open construction and is constituted by a plurality of spaced bars 41 which extend in the longitudinal direction of the court.

As previously mentioned, sides 7A-7D of pad 3 slope downwardly toward fixture 9. A drainage trench 43 is provided below fixture 9. Pit 2 is filled to the level of the playing surface P with a suitable material 45, such as blue clay or the like, for constituting a landing surface or target area for the horseshoes. This filler material absorbs the impact of thrown horseshoes and yet permits stake 31 and base 17 to freely rock in fixture 9 when the stake is struck by a thrown horseshoe. It will be understood that other suitable materials, including mats and other types of fillers may be used in place of blue clay. As indicated at 47, a poured concrete pad or platform surrounds the target area and provides a standing surface for the players.

It will further be understood that excess moisture, such as rain, is readily drained from pit 2 via the open construction of the bottom 11 of fixture 9 and drain trench 43. Thus, even in the most severe weather conditions, water quickly drains from the pit and the pit is in condition for play in as short a time as possible.

During play, base 17 and stake 31 are normally in the position shown in FIG. 4 with surface 19 of base 17 in engagement with bars 41 of fixture 9. As previously mentioned stake 31 leans toward the other end of the court. When stake 31 is struck by a thrown horseshoe, the kinetic energy of the horseshoe causes stake 31 and base 17 to rock on edge 23 and to lift the forward end of the base. This rocking movement dissipates the kinetic energy of the horseshoe and cushions impact of the horseshoe on the stake. This is preferred because thrown horsehoes do not tend to bounce from the stake. The amount of rock of fixture 17 is limited by adjustable bolt 29 carried by lip 15 of fixture 9. After rocking to its rearward or second position, base 17 is gravity biased to return to its first position, as shown in FIG. 4.

1t will be understood that the horseshoe court construction of this invention may be incorporated in a portable horseshoe pit, as well as the permanent installation herein illustrated. in a portable pit (not shown) fixture 9 is held rigid relative to the sides of the pit and the poured concrete pad 3 is not required.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A horseshoe pitching court comprising a fixture having a bottom disposed below the surface of the court, a base held loosely captive by said fixture, and a stake held by said base extending generally vertically from the base above the playing surface of the court, said base having a generally horizontal first bottom surface and a second bottom surface inclined with respect to the first said surface, said first and second bottom surfaces intersecting on a common edge transverse of the direct longitudinal direction of the court whereby said base is rockable on said edge in the longitudinal direction of the court between a first position in which the first surface of the base engages said fixture and a second position in which the second surface on the base engages said fixture, said base being gravity biased to said first position, whereby a pitched horseshoe striking said stake causes said stake and said base to rock on said fixture from its first to its second position.

2. A court as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a pit at each end thereof, each said pit comprising a pad of rigid formable material, such as poured concrete or asphalt, below the playing surface of the court, said fixture being embedded in said pad.

3. A court as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pad slopes downwardly toward said fixture embedded therein and includes drain means below the fixture with said fixture being of open construction so as to permit water to drain from the pit via said fixture and said drain means.

4. A court as set forth in claim 3 wherein said bottom of said fixture comprises a plurality of spaced bars extending in the longitudinal direction of the court and engageable by said first and second bottom surfaces of said base.

5. A court as set forth in claim 3 wherein said pit includes means covering said pad to the level of said playing surface and surrounding said stake for absorbing impact of thrown horseshoes.

6. A court as set forth in claim 2 wherein said fixture includes means for accurately positioning the fixture in said pit while the pad is being formed about the fixture.

7. A court as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fixture includes means for limiting the rocking movement of said base upon being struck by a thrown horseshoe.

8. A court as set forth in claim 7 wherein said means for limiting rocking movement of said base is adjustable to vary the amount of rock of said base.

9. A court as set forth in claim 8 wherein said means for limiting rocking movement of said base comprises a lip extending from said fixture and overlying a portion of said base, and a stop bolt threadably carried by said lip for engagement with said base.

10. A court as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base has a hole therein for reception of said stake, said hole being inclined with respect to the vertical when said base is in its first position so that said stake leans toward the opposite end of the court. 

1. A horseshoe pitching court comprising a fixture having a bottom disposed below the surface of the court, a base held loosely captive by said fixture, and a stake held by said base extending generally vertically from the base above the playing surface of the court, said base having a generally horizontal first bottom surface and a second bottom surface inclined with respect to the first said surface, said first and second bottom surfaces intersecting on a common edge transverse of the direct longitudinal direction of the court whereby said base is rockable on said edge in the longitudinal direction of the court between a first position in which the first surface of the base engages said fixture and a second position in which the second surface on the base engages said fixture, said base being gravity biased to said first position, whereby a pitched horseshoe striking said stake causes said stake and said base to rock on said fixture from its first to its second position.
 2. A court as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a pit at each end thereof, each said pit comprising a pad of rigid formable material, such as poured concrete or asphalt, below the playing surface of the court, said fixture being embedded in said pad.
 3. A court as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pad slopes downwardly toward said fixture embedded therein and includes drain means below the fixture with said fixture being of open construction so as to permit water to drain from the pit via said fixture and said drain means.
 4. A court as set forth in claim 3 wherein said bottom of said fixture comprises a plurality of spaced bars extending in the longitudinal direction of the court and engageable by said first and second bottom surfaces of said base.
 5. A court as set forth in claim 3 wherein said pit includes means covering said pad to the level of said playing surface and surrounding said stake for absorbing impact of thrown horseshoes.
 6. A court as set forth in claim 2 wherein said fixture includes means for accurately positioning the fixture in said pit while the pad is being formed about the fixture.
 7. A court as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fixture includes means for limiting the rocking movement of said base upon being struck by a thrown horseshoe.
 8. A court as set forth in claim 7 wherein said means for limiting rocking movement of said base is adjustable to vary the amount of rock of said base.
 9. A court as set forth in claim 8 wherein said means for limiting rocking movement of said base comprises a lip extending from said fixture and overlying a portion of said base, and a stop bolt threadably carried by said lip for engagement with said base.
 10. A court as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base has a hole therein for reception of said stake, said hole being inclined with respect to the vertical when said base is in its first position so that said stake leans toward the opposite end of the court. 